A Wedding and a Funeral
by thatsoravenclaw
Summary: When Draco discovers that the woman he has secretly loved for years is being abused by her new husband, he will stop at nothing to save her. A story of redemption, love, and dark magic. Warning: domestic abuse.
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings for this story: It is a bit dark, though not as dark as my other story Paper Airplanes. It includes domestic abuse, smut, dark magic and most likely some non/con as well. (I know; I have a twisted mind.)**

 **Disclaimer: JKR owns HP. I do not.**

 **A Wedding and a Funeral**

 **Chapter 1**

Here I am. Sitting on the bench at the end of my bed. I'm already in my finest dress robes, and my hair is already gelled back the way it always is for special occasions. Here I am staring. Staring at an invitation; the invitation for the wedding I am about to attend.

More specifically; the wedding of the woman I have been in love with for years.

And no, in case you were wondering; I am not the groom. That lucky bastard just so happens to be her best friend's older brother.

Yes you heard me. I, Draco Malfoy, am in love with a woman who will be getting married to another man within the hour.

Why am I not the lucky man waiting for her to walk down the aisle you ask?

It's because I'm a coward.

No seriously, I am a coward. I was a coward when I took the dark mark at sixteen instead of going to the order. I was a coward when I watched my aunt torture the woman I love right in front of me. I was a coward during the final battle. And I was a coward when I didn't tell her how I felt when we started working together almost three years ago.

I guess I always figured that eventually an opportunity would present itself. An opportunity when I could tell her how sorry I was for everything I had ever done. An opportunity where I could finally tell her exactly how I feel.

And even after she started dating her soon to be husband I still didn't give up hope. I still figured that my chance would eventually come one day. They would break up, she would be single again, and I would be there to comfort her.

That, my friend, is why I am a coward. It is why I am not the one waiting for her at the end of the aisle. I kept waiting and waiting for my opportunity to come, instead of making my own. Instead of cornering her in her office across from mine, and telling her. Telling her that I fell in love with her the day she slapped me across the face nine years ago.

And now it's too late. In a few hours she will be Mrs. Weasley. My chance will never come.

So here I am. Wallowing in self pity. Staring at the invitation of the ceremony I am about to leave for. The ceremony where I will be forced to watch the love of my life marry the love of hers.

Why am I even attending the wedding you ask? It's a rather short answer really. The reason I am attending is because of my mother.

You see what a coward I am? I can't even stand up to my own mother and tell her I'm not going.

Oh, so now you want to know why my mother is even demanding I attend. Right? That is a bit more complicated actually. So much for the short answer.

You see, after the war ended five years ago, my father was sent to Azkaban. He confessed to the Wizengamot that he had willingly become a death eater, and even gave them inside information on other dark wizards. He gave all this willingly in exchange for my mother and I to be left out of all charges. It worked; my mother and I never even set foot in that dreadful place.

He, on the other hand, was not so lucky; he was sentenced to fifty years. I guess a few of the other death eaters inside got wind of what he had done, and exacted revenge. They bashed his head in with a stone. He didn't even last four months in there.

His death left me as the man of the house, and my mother a widow. I went straight into law school, spending two years getting my certifications before starting work at The Department of Magical Law; while my mother busied herself with charity functions, and digging the Malfoy name out of the gutter.

It was the charity functions, and donations specifically that landed my mother with an invitation to the wedding of the century. Well...second biggest anyway; the Potter/Weasley wedding two years ago was the real crem dela crem.

Anyway, back to the point. My mother is acquainted with her because of the many donations she has made to war relief efforts. They met and have worked with each other for several charities over the years while she was going through her own magical law certifications.

That's right, you heard me; we both work in Magical Law, hence the reason that her office is right across from mine, and why I myself was also invited to the wedding. She finished her certifications several months before I did of course, know it all that she is; giving her seniority over me in the office. Now don't get me wrong, we are by no means hostile to each other like we were in school; but we aren't exactly friends either. She tolerates me because she is professional in the work environment, and I avoid her because all I want to do when I am around her is snog her silly before throwing her on top of my desk.

Sorry...too much information at once and I keep getting off track. My mother is making me attend the wedding because not only is it polite to attend a colleague's wedding, but because she is trying to dig our family name out of the gutter my late father dropped us into. Because even though my mother isn't exactly friends with her, they have been acquainted with each other through various charities, and have established a mutual respect for one another.

My mother, Narcissa, is under the impression that if we are seen attending a war hero's wedding, we ourselves will be associated with the light side instead of the dark. She thinks that if other wizards see we have been invited to this wedding, that they will cease to see us as death eaters who weaseled our way out of azkaban. If one third of the golden trio can be on friendly enough terms to invite us to her wedding, we must be somewhat redeemed right?

I have to admit that my mother has a point; attending probably will help our family name earn some respect back. I just really hate using Hermione's wedding that way for our own benefit.

Shit. Did I just say that?

Fine. You caught me. The girl I have been in love with since I was fourteen is Hermione Granger. Yes; war hero, brightest witch of the age, soon to be Mrs. Dragon Tamer Charlie Weasley. That Hermione Granger.

So here I am. Sitting on the bench at the end of my bed. Staring at the wedding invitation for Hermione Granger. The wedding I am being forced to attend by my mother. The wedding where I will have to watch the woman I love give herself away to another man. A man who is brave and kind. A man who is the opposite of me.

So here I am sitting, and staring. Here I am cursing myself for being such a coward. Cursing myself for never being brave enough to tell her. Cursing myself because I never took a chance.

Cursing myself because now it is too late.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Short first chapter, more like a prologue really. Let me know what you think. I haven't really written in first person before so i hope you like it.**

TSR


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: JK owns HP always

 **Chapter 2**

"You may now kiss the bride."

I have to swallow the bile in the back of my throat as I watch him lift her veil. My heart aches as they grin wildly at each other just before he presses his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. His lips dance against hers, as I have always wished mine could. A pit forms in my stomach as I see her wrap her arms around his neck and deepen the kiss just before he dips her in a cheesy fashion.

As if I didn't already want to vomit.

Everyone is clapping and cheering as they finally break apart. Potty, Weasel, and the whole clan of redheads especially. I myself clap, counting to five before I stick my hands into my pockets. I don't want to draw attention to myself by brooding; I'm not Viktor Krum after all.

Speak of the devil. I see him two rows in front of me; looking exactly how I feel on the inside. I can't help but wonder if he has been carrying a torch for her all these years just as I have. He is looking at Charlie the way I looked at him during the Yule ball eight years ago.

The ceremony finally ends, and I quickly make my way to the reception hall; passing a very tired but happy looking Ginny Potter on the way. She had taken a screaming six month baby boy out into the lobby half way through the ceremony, but was now rocking him back and forth while cooing. According to the papers, her and Potter had named the little tyke James after his father.

What I wouldn't give to have Hermione cradling a child like that, one that came from the both of us. He would look just like me, except he would have her soft chin and cute button nose instead of my pointy features. I push that dangerous dream out of my head quickly; knowing that will never happen.

My mother finds me quickly, even though I had sped off to get a few minutes alone.

"That could be you one day." She says with a small cackle; watching the raven haired baby smile at it's mother.

I sigh; not wanting to have this discussion at all, but especially not today of all days.

"Give it a rest mother."

"What?" She fakes insult. "I would like to have grandchildren someday. Preferably before I get too old to chase them around the manor. "

I sigh again, purposely ignoring her, before making my way to our table.

We are four tables away from the wedding party's table. Two older men who work in the department are are already sitting at it, but other than that it is completely empty. My mother sits beside Chairman Harold, an old associate of my father's and my boss; they go way back.

As everyone else files into the reception hall and takes their seats, I realize that we are a sort of catch all table; people Hermione isn't close with but would have felt bad not to invite. The Patil twins and Lavender Brown whom she was obviously well acquainted with at Hogwarts, several people from work, and to my displeasure Viktor Krum himself; who ends up taking the seat right next to mine.

After an awkward minute of silence, he turns to me and does the last thing I want him to do; talks to me.

"Malfoy right?" He asks. "You vere at Hogvarts vhen I vas there for the tri-vizard tournament."

Usually a famous quidditch player knowing your name would be a good thing right? Not this time. Not under these circumstances. Not when we are both harboring feelings for the woman who just got married.

I can do one of two things. I can do what I really want to do, and tell him to piss off. I may be in love with Hermione Granger, but I'm still me. I'm still an arrogant, self absorbed asshole who doesn't care about other people's feelings. Being in love with the most selfless woman on the planet doesn't change that.

My other option is to take the high road. I can nod politely, tell him he is correct on my identity, and ask him how he is in return. It's not what I want to do, but it is the option that will not cause a scene. It is the option that will keep my mother from being pissed at me. She wouldn't want me to be counter productive to her plan of redeeming the Malfoy name by being obviously rude to a celebrity. And let's face it; my mother scares me.

"Yes I am." I answer. "I was in Slytherin house. You Durmstrang students used to sit with us in the great hall." I choose option number two. A shame really. I would have loved to see the look on his face when I told him to shove it.

"That's right." Krum agreed, obviously remembering his time at Hogwarts quite well. "So you know Herm-own-ninny from school?"

"Yes." I answer shortly, trying to end the conversation with him as quickly as possible.

"Oh, I vas under the impression you two hated each other."

"We did." I internally curse as I was hoping he would leave me alone after my answer of yes. The universe obviously hates me. "But the war changed things. We work together now, and she invited the whole department."

"Oh so you vork in Magical Law?"

I nod and take a sip of the wine the waiter has finally brought over.

"How long haff you vorked there?"

He really can't take a hint can he? I take another long sip of the drink before answering, although mentally I am banging my head against the table over and over again. "A little over three years."

"Oh so almost as long as Herm-own-ninny?"

I nod again. "I believe so. She was already there when I started." I attempt to switch the subject, not wanting to talk about the bride any longer. "How is the Quidditch season going? I hear Bulgaria has a good shot of being up for the cup again this year."

His eyes light up at the mention of his profession. "Yes! Ve are. Ve just have to beat the Nordic team and Portugal. If ve beat both of them ve get another chance at the cup against either Ireland, the Ballycastle Bats, or the Fitchburg Finches."

Part of me can't believe he is still talking to me even though I should clearly seem uninterested in anything he has to say. The other part of me is just happy he is talking about sports and not Granger. "It will be either The Bats or Ireland again. There is no way that those yanks have a chance."

Krum chuckles at my very correct assumption. "You're quite blunt about it...but I can't argue. I'm honestly surprised they have come this far in the playoffs."

I'm really hoping he will let the conversation between us die now, so I just nod and take another sip of wine.

"I'll take it you're a single man Malfoy?" He asks. "As you showed up vith your mother instead of a date."

I internally sigh before nodding again. I don't like where he is going with this.

"Vonderful!" He looks happy.

This is weird.

"Ve can scout out the ladies together then. They alvays seem more comfortable vhen attractive men approach them in pairs."

Great. Now I'm his buddy for the evening.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea." I say calmly hoping he will drop the subject. I'm not that lucky.

"Nonsense." He chuckles and and slaps me on the back. He points across the table to the Patil twins. "Vhat about them? You could have the vone on the left and I could take the vone on the right."

This is going to be awkward. I've already slept with both of them. Yes you heard that correctly, and yes; both at the same time.

What? You thought that because I'm in love that I would be abstinent. Ha, that's funny. Who did you think I was, Saint Potter?

I shake my head. "No, not them."

"Okay, not your type." He pauses before gesturing to Lavender Brown. "Vhat about her?"

I scoff. "Definitely not."

"And vhat is so vrong vith her. She's pretty and definitely looks easy enough."

"The day I go for Ron Weasley's leftovers is the day the Fitchburg Finches win the World Cup." I say with a scoff.

"Oh...I vas not avare that she vas an ex of his." He looks crestfallen that I haven't liked his suggestions so far.

"Our sixth year. For a while there they were lip locking so much that I was sure they would be permanently stuck that way."

His face blanches at that imagery. "Vell that ansvers that. She is completely out of the question…. No matter, ve vill just haff to keep looking." His eyes start to sweep around the ballroom, obviously trying to find a girl or two for us to hook up with.

Lucky for me, the bride and groom are now making their entrance; causing Krum to lose his train of thought. He is so distracted by Hermione that he forgets all about trying to hook up with sub par replacements for her. Unlucky for me, the bride and groom are now making their entrance; causing me to curse myself once more for being such a coward.

As she passes right by me on her way to their table, I can see up close how beautiful she looks in her white dress. Her curls have been tamed into large flowing waves that cascade down her back, and I can't remember a time when I have seen her look more radiant.

Charlie has his hand on the small of her back, carefully guiding her to their table. I can tell by the way he looks at her that he knows he's the luckiest man on the planet. I have never felt jealousy like this before. Not even when Potter received his Nimbus Two Thousand in first year.

My heart is so heavy at the thought that she will never be mine that my mind suddenly flashes back to early last year; when they first became involved with each other:

 _Hermione, being the creature lover that she is, had spent her first two years in Magical Law trying to pass a bill that would ban businesses from using dragons or other creatures for personal gain. She was mainly against Gringots due to the blinded and chained dragons they had captive in their underground vaults. During the war, she had seen first hand what was happening to the dragons down there; having ridden one out when she was eighteen. She was determined to make it so no other creatures were kept in such horrid conditions ever again._

 _In January of last year, her law finally passed. The Goblins were forced to release all living creatures from their underground tunnels to a reserve that was being set up in Wales. Hermione had been placed in charge of getting the reserve up, running, and fully staffed. According to the gossip around the office; Molly Weasley, her wizarding mother figure, had suggested she contact her second oldest son for contacts._

 _It turned out that he had been meaning to move closer to home anyway, having missed out on so much of his younger siblings lives while he was living an independent young bachelor life in Romania. He was ready to move closer, and having a dragon sanctuary open that close to home was the opportunity he was looking for. Hermione appointed him as head of the new dragon reserve as he was the most qualified of all the applicants by far._

 _And that is how Charlie Weasley weaseled his way into Hermione's life. She not only helped him hire all of the other workers, but also helped him get the place set up. She made sure they had a fully stocked library and helped brew all of the potions they would need. After it officially opened she continued to check in regularly to make sure that everything was running smoothly afterwards. She wanted to make sure that Charlie had everything he needed to keep up with the blind and emaciated dragons._

 _I had obviously been in denial, thinking that she was only checking up so often because she cared about the dragons. In fact, I didn't realize anything was going on with them at all until last April. That day, like most had started off with me trying to get up enough courage to go talk to her. In fact I had even gotten up out of my own chair and gone into her office to finally apologize for my bad behavior at Hogwarts. At least that is what I like to tell myself I was going to do. In reality I probably would have chickened out last second, and asked her about some mundane case we were working on at the time._

 _However, when I reached her office I realized she was not in yet. I found it weird, as Hermione was always early to work, and never late; especially on a Tuesday. Suddenly feeling my courage fail, I hightailed it back to my own office, leaving my blinds open so I could see her when she arrived._

 _A few minutes later she came speed walking down the hall, a flush across her cheeks, her hair disheveled, and her usually pressed clothing slightly wrinkled. She then entered her office before quickly closing her shades for privacy with a wave of her wand. As I sat there staring at her office door, confused as to what I had just witnessed; I realized something that made me feel quite ill. That wrinkled pencil skirt and navy blouse had been the same ones she had been wearing to the office the day before. Those black heels were also the same as yesterday, and her pantyhose had a very obvious run in it._

 _As that thought sunk in, I realized where she must have come from that morning. At the time I did not know who's place she had just come from, but knew what activity she must have been up to the night before. I was secretly holding my breath that it was a one time thing, but in time would find out that was definitely not the case._

 _Several weeks after that, I kept glancing up at her from my desk while going through files for a big case I was working on. I had just been filing away some paperwork when Charlie had walked into the department. He waved at the receptionist before heading directly back to Hermione's office. I had been used to him coming by from time to time, as he had to visit with her for reserve fund approval and other things that had to do with the law she had passed; but I was not prepared for what he was doing there that day._

 _As soon as he entered her office he shut the door, causing Hermione to look up. Her face immediately lit up when she realized who it was and she bit her lip in a seductive smile. Before I could even fully process what was going on, the shades had been drawn and a silencing charm had been put in place. It was obvious as I could hear no sounds coming from the room, not even hushed voices. The only thing I could see was the fabric of her roman shades moving back and forth from time to time._

 _Realizing what they were obviously doing in there, I packed up my paperwork and decided to finish out the workday at home; away from the place where the woman I love was currently getting ploughed into her desk. I ended up passing out in my home office from the amount of firewhiskey I drank to distract myself from the image of them together._

 _A few months after that he started coming in right before closing to take her to dinner at least twice a week. And four months ago she showed up on a Monday morning with a large shiny rock decorating her left hand ring finger. All the women in the office squealing at the size of it had caused me to close my own blinds, cast a heavy duty silencing charm, and down a half a bottle of firewhiskey before proceeding to destroy my office. I woke up at three a.m still in my wreck of an office with a hangover from hell. The good thing about being avoided by most people is that no one even noticed I was still there._

 _When they had gotten engaged I knew that any chance of being with her was probably over, but I had still held out a little faith that things would crash and burn between them. And six weeks ago when the invitation showed up with my owl, I still had a small sliver of hope that they wouldn't actually go through with the wedding. However, I now realize all hope is lost as I watch him kiss her; finally married as of fifteen minutes ago. I now know that that small sliver of hope is completely gone._

Shaking those thoughts from my head, I turn to my mother; trying not to look at the woman I'm in love with. She's staring at me strangely; as if I have grown a third eye on my forehead. I raise one eyebrow at her in return, wondering why she is staring at me that way, but she turns back to Chairman Harold while sipping at her own wine.

The newlyweds are finally at their table, and everyone begins clapping again as they sit. I once again count to five before grabbing my drink again. I'm going to need something stronger than wine if I am going to make it through to an acceptable time to leave.

I keep my eyes on my plate for the next half hour, as the food is served and the drinks keep refilling themselves. I can hear Krum deep in conversation with both Patil twins and Brown. I'm glad that at least one thing is starting to go my way tonight, as I have obviously fallen off his radar.

I turn to ask my mother if she has had a chance to sample the buttered wine bread, but she is no longer at the table. I glance around curiously, but she doesn't seem to be anywhere in sight. I feel lucky again because now she won't be giving me the strange look I have caught her eyeing me with all night.

I'm even happier when a waiter starts bringing around firewhiskey; it's like they read my mind and knew I needed a stiff drink. Especially now that Hermione is up and mingling with the guests. As she will likely make an appearance at our table at some point tonight, I plan on being far away from here when that happens.

Ten minutes after that, I realize I have counted my eggs before they have hatched. Krum turns back to me and points to the girl sitting on the other side of Padma.

"I'll ask one of the twins to dance and you can ask her." He says as if he has just come up with the greatest solution to our earlier conversation. "Her name is Hannah."

"Yes I know." I sigh. "She is a secretary at the Magical Law office."

He looks crestfallen again. "Oh."

"Yeah… Probably not a good idea to hook up with someone I have to see Monday morning."

"Good point." He chuckles. "That is not something I have to vorry about in my profession."

A voice I know very well suddenly comes from behind me. I mentally bang my head on the table again. She wasn't suppose to make it to our table this quickly.

"Viktor!" She sounds happy to see him. Part of me wonders why she never took a serious chance at a relationship with him. It's obvious to everyone else how in love with her he has always been. I internally hope that I am not as transparent as he is.

Krum pulls her into a hug as he stands and kisses her cheek. "Congratulations Ninny. You look spectacular."

"Thank you." Her smile is genuine and you can tell that she believes today to be the happiest of her life. "I'm really glad you could make it. Did you portkey, or floo internationally?"

"Portkey."

"Are you only in town today, or will you have time to enjoy England for a few days before heading back?"

"I'm going to see the Ireland vs. Bats game Tuesday and then my team vill join me here for our game vs. Portugal the second Thursday after that."

"Great! So you will be here for a few weeks then?"

He grins. It is obvious he is happy just to be talking to her. "Yes. My portkey home doesn't leave until the tvelfth of next month."

"I'm really glad you will be here for a while. Charlie and I leave for our honeymoon in Paris after the reception, but we will be back on the eighth. Would you like to get tea or lunch when we return? I really would like to catch up with you before you have to go back to Bulgaria."

"I vould like that very much yes." He nods. I'm sipping my drink, trying to act like I am not listening to every word of their conversation.

"I'll owl you to confirm the time and place when we return then." She smiles and gives his shoulder a squeeze. "I must continue to mingle with the guests for now, but I will talk to you again before the night is over."

"I vill hold you to that." He kisses her cheek one more time before she turns around to face me.

When she sees that I am the next person in line she will need to talk to, her light and happy smile turns to the one she wears around the office; the one she fakes when she has to pretend to be nice to someone she doesn't care for.

"Thank you for attending Malfoy. I am glad you and your mother were able to make it."

"Thank you for the invitation. My mother was ecstatic when she got the owl. It's been a long time since we were invited to anything where our bank account wasn't the only reason we made the guest list." I stand to let her know that she has my full attention.

"Your welcome." She says with a hint of a real smile breaking through the false one. "Where is she by the way?"

I glance up and see her talking with Potter and the groom at the wedding party table. After Potter spoke up for us at our trials, she has made it a point to talk to him whenever they are at the same events. She even sent them a large gift basket of stuff after James was born.

"Talking with Potter and your husband." I say calmly with masked emotions.

She turns her head to verify that what I have said is true. Charlie catches her eye and sends her a flirty wink as my mother brushes what seems to be lint off the collar of his robes. That's just like my mother, always making sure everything is in it's proper state.

Hermione laughs before turning back to me.

"Congratulations Granger." I say, trying to sound sincere even though it's one of the most difficult lines I've ever had to choke out.

"Thanks Malfoy." She nods politely before starting to walk past me.

I grip her shoulder gently with one hand to stop her from going on to the next guest. Part of me can't stand the idea of leaving the conversation that short. It's just like my courage to finally make an appearance now that my chance with her is completely gone.

"Krum's right…" I say with utmost sincerity. "You really do look quite beautiful."

She turns back to me, searching my eyes for any hint of malice before her mouth slowly turns into a grin. It's the first time she has ever actually smiled at me for a positive reason, and I can't help but be elated that I got at least this one true smile out of her that is only for me.

"Thank you." She says happily. "I think that may be the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

I let go of her shoulder and cross my arms over my chest. I love the way her skin feels under my fingers, but I don't want to raise suspicion so I let her go. I settle for trying to make her smile or laugh at me again.

"Really? You didn't like it when I said you kicked major ass on the Rowle case last week?" I tutted under my breath. "Because that was definitely meant as a compliment."

She snorted. "I guess that's true."

"What about when I said that no one makes death eaters cry in the courtroom quite like you do?"

She giggles, holding her hand slightly over her mouth. It's one of the most adorable sights I've ever seen. "You know all your other compliments are rather juvenile right?"

"Of course. It's the way I am." I throw a signature smirk her way.

"Trust me." She starts to turn away again. "I know."

I speak up again to stop her once more, I really have no clue why I keep talking at this point. Why couldn't I have done this years ago? "If you ever tell anyone this I will deny it Granger… but I wish you a happy marriage. Charlie is a very lucky man."

Hermione takes a step toward me to, surprise written on her face. "That really means a lot coming from you." Her smile grows and she places her left hand on top of my crossed arms; giving them a small squeeze.

I hold back a shiver that is aching to come out at the realization that she is touching me of her own free will. My arm tingles where her hand is, and I can't help but wish I had rolled up my sleeves so she would be touching me skin on skin right now.

"Good luck at the office while I'm gone. I know that the Morton case is highly complex and that my honeymoon is falling at a very inconvenient time, but I really appreciate you taking it on in my absence." She moves her hand at the last word leaving my arm suddenly feeling very cold.

I wave her comment off as if it is nothing. "I don't need luck Granger. I'm a shark in the courtroom as you very well know."

Suddenly there is another presence behind me, and my mother's stern voice comes loud and clear from just over my shoulder. "I see your father's arrogance is still going strong in you."

Hermione stifles another chuckle from behind her fingers. "Thank you for coming Mrs. Malfoy. Did you have a nice chat with Harry?"

"I did." My mother nods and moves to stand closer to Hermione; tucking her usual black clutch under her arm. "I was thrilled to get your invite; I was honored to know that you thought of me when making your guest list."

"Oh nonsense." Hermione grips my mother's arm in a polite fashion, similar to how she gripped mine earlier. "We have been working so closely at different functions for years. I feel closer to you than I do my own Aunt Lillith."

"You flatter me Hermione." My mother says, cupping her face like a motherly figure would. 'But call me Narcissa please. I feel we are way beyond a last name basis at this point."

Hermione smiles politely at her. "Of course."

"Glad to hear it." My mother smiles in return before crinkling her brow. "Oh...You seem to have a flyaway my dear." She reaches her hand up and tugs a stray hair out of the front of Hermione's veil. "Got it. Can't have hairs out of place on your wedding day."

"Thank you Narcissa." Hermione says, smile back in place; after having flinched when my mother plucked the hair from her head.

"I take it back." She chuckles. "Narcissa sounds way too stuffy. Cissa will do."

"Well thank you Cissa. I appreciate everything you have done for all the foundations over the years. I shall see both you and Draco when I return from Paris next month."

"Yes. You should join us for tea one Saturday afternoon." My mother responds with a coy smile of her own. I know she has just finagled a more substantial relationship with the prominent political figure for her own personal agenda rather than for leisure.

"That sounds lovely, I will owl you to schedule a date when things have settled down." Hermione nods to my mother and then to me.

"Enjoy the rest of the night you two." And with that she is off to mingle with the rest of her guests; leaving me to watch her walk away. Merlin the dress she has chosen makes her arse look fantastic. I stare at it way longer than appropriate as she begins talking to her old roommates from Hogwarts.

When I finally tear my eyes away, and turn back to my mother she is rummaging around in her clutch. I'm glad she hadn't caught the way I was looking at her one way ticket back into privileged society. That could only end badly. I did mention that I am scared of my mother right?

As a waiter passes with a tray of drinks, I grab a glass filled with amber colored liquid; downing it in one gulp to calm my nerves. That conversation really did take a toll on me, and now I have a tea date to get through at a later day.

My mother pulls me out of my inner turmoil once more. "Well I'm going to go say hello to that precious baby since you won't give me my own grandchildren to spoil."

"Have fun with that mother." I respond dryly; downing the next drink as it magically refills itself.

"I will." She mocks me before throwing the last word over her shoulder. "But you better behave yourself."

I scowl at her as she walks right up to Charlie and offers him a drink in exchange for his nephew that he has cradled against his chest. He willingly hands the little tyke over, immediately taking a sip of the beverage. She looks so happy around small children and baby James is no exception. As she moves him to her hip, she really does look to be in complete bliss.

I feel a little bad knowing it will be many years before I'm ready to find a witch to settle down with. I know eventually I will have to force myself to get over Hermione, but if it was easy I would have done it years ago instead of continuing to torture myself.

I finally turn to find the loo, knowing my mother will be waiting a long time to get those grandchildren she wants so desperately, and wanting to be as far away from the reminder as possible.

xxxxxxxxxxx

An hour later and the bride and groom are making their way to the exit. Most people are throwing confetti into the air by the portkey station, trying to send them off in style. A rather stupid tradition if you ask me, though I guess it's better than rice or bubbles. I mean who thought the tradition of throwing things at people in celebration was a good idea?

Charlie's arm is wrapped possessively around her waist as he guides her toward the table their portkey is laying on. They must have had a long day, because he looks a bit worn down compared to his ecstatic mood from the start of the evening. Hermione still looks completely cheerful, though a bit tired. I secretly hope they are too worn out from today to consummate the marriage tonight. The thought of him getting whiskey dick makes me chuckle.

I know. I'm immature. Tell me something I don't know.

As they reach their fingers out to finally touch the portal, I take one last look at her. One last look before I won't see her for three weeks. One last look before she's off to have crazy romantic sex with her husband in view of the Eiffel Tower. One last look before I feel like my life is over.

And that's it.

Just like that she is gone.

I take a deep breath to calm my aching heart before making my way to the bar. My only goal for the rest of the evening is to get so sloshed I can't feel this pain in my chest anymore. I order a shot of Ogden's finest, letting the barkeep know there will be a very large tip if he keeps them coming.

It doesn't take long before I am three sheets to the wind and the bartender cuts me off. I pay him the hefty tip anyway, even though I really wanted more, before stumbling back toward my table.

My mother meets me half way, looking very stern. Shit. Even in my high state of inebriation I know I am in trouble. I did mention my mother scares me right?

"I think it is high time I take you home."

"I didn't want to be here anyway." I respond. At least that is what I meant to say. I'm not really sure exactly what came out in all honesty.

She sighs and grabs my arm, placing it over her shoulder so she can guide me to the exit easier. "I know Draco...I know."

I think I mumble something else, but I'm not sure exactly. The only thing I am sure of is that Viktor Krum is winking at me as he passes us on the way to the apparition point.

He has a Patil twin on each arm.

Enjoy my leftovers buddy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, what is this? An update for the first time in over a year?**

 **Yes it is. : )**

 **Enjoy.**

Disclaimer: HP belongs to JKR

 **Chapter 3**

Today is the day she is going to return. I feel like such an idiot for being excited, but I can't help it. I am. So excited in fact, that I got to the office half an hour early just so I can make sure I see her as soon as she walks in. Even though I know she will never be mine, I really missed her presence in the office the past three weeks.

I know. I'm a lovesick fool who is obsessed with torturing myself. If I could help it by now I obviously would have stopped a long time ago.

I have decided that standing by the coffee and tea station is the best place to wait. If I'm in my office I won't be able to see her when she walks in, but I don't want to make it obvious that I'm waiting for her to get there either.

I've made about six different cups awaiting her arrival to keep myself busy; vanishing each one before starting on the new one. I've just added the milk to the seventh when I see Hannah jump up from the reception desk out of the corner of my eye. With a squeal she runs over to the door and throws her arms around a very startled looking woman who has just entered the office.

I recognize the startled woman immediately as my Hermione. Those curly locks make her instantly recognizable. Even in the baggy khaki robes she's wearing she looks beautiful. It's a little strange to see her dressed like that, as she usually wears professional muggle clothing in the office. In fact, she only dawns proper wizard robes for important meetings and in the courtroom. And even when she does wear robes, they are only ever in darker shades and fit her body much better than the oversized, high necked garment she is currently in.

Her clothes are definitely not the only thing out of place as I catch a glimpse of her face over Hannah's shoulder. Her fake smile that she usually reserves for those she dislikes is plastered on her face instead of the usual happy and genuine one she sports around the Hufflepuff.

A lump immediately forms in my throat. I know something is very wrong, as this is not the look of a woman who has just returned from a wonderful honeymoon vacation. Hermione loves France, and to my displeasure it is obvious she loves Charlie. What could have happened the past three weeks to change her entire demeanor? This is suppose to be one of the happiest times of her life.

Something is definitely off with this picture and I am instantly determined to figure out what it is.

"Tell me all about it!" Hannah exclaims as she takes a step back. "How was France? What kinds of romantic things did you and Charlie get up to?"

Hermione's nostrils flare at the mention of her husband's name, but she's a good actress and immediately fakes a large smile. She may have everyone else fooled, but she will never have me fooled. Something has happened between her and the second eldest Weasley son since the wedding and part of me, well all of me really, is glad to see that there seems to be trouble in paradise already.

"Everything was perfect." Hermione lied. She always pinches the skin between her thumb and pointer finger when she lies, which is what she is doing now. I picked up on that bit of information back when Umbridge had them captive in her office back in fifth year. "Why don't we have lunch later on this week and I can tell you everything then. I fear I have been away too long and will have tons of mail awaiting me at my desk that I need to get to immediately."

"Oh. Of course Hermione." Hannah looked disappointed, but turned to sit back at the reception desk. "Shall I send your first appointment back at eleven? Or would you like me to postpone them until Wednesday?"

"Postpone all my appointments until Wednesday please." Hermione responded looking relieved. "I feel I have a lot of catching up to do before I am prepared for any meetings."

"And shall I set our lunch date for Thursday at noon?"

"That sounds lovely, Thank you Hannah." A small genuine smile crept up her lips before she turned to go to her office.

As she began to walk away I notice her smile fades instantly and is replaced with what looks to be sadness and what I worry is just a hint of fear. Something is eating her up inside and I know I need to come up with a plan to figure it out. I need find out what has happened to her since her big day.

I give her a small head start before following her down the hall toward our offices. To my misfortune I see her shut the door behind her and close her shades. I hate it when she does that, as I love watching her through the glass. It is obvious she wants some privacy, but my curiosity is killing me. I decide to go check my mail and schedule for the week before bothering her. I want nothing more than to barge in unannounced and force her to tell me what is wrong, but I may have a better chance of getting it out of her if I give her some time to herself first. I try to tell myself that she needs to settle in first.

An hour later I can't take it anymore. I need to see her, and I need to see her now. I will never get any work done if I can't get the sad and almost scared look on her face out of my mind. I file away what I can that's on my desk before storming across the hall.

The picture that I'm met with upon throwing her door open is worse than I was expecting. Her left hand is a bloody mess as she appears to be clawing at it vigorously, and she has obviously been sobbing uncontrollably for some time now with how tear stained her face is. My throat drops into my stomach at the sight.

This definitely goes way beyond whatever I thought might have been wrong with her.

"Bloody fuck Granger!" I exclaim after I quickly shut and lock her door behind me so as not to alert the whole office that something is amiss.

She gasps and quickly hides her bloody hand under the desk and wipes her face with the back of her good hand.

"Get out!" She demands, recovering quickly.

I stand my ground and take the few steps needed to be on her side of the desk. With a wave of my wand the room is silenced so no one else can hear the screaming match we are likely about to get into. I know she will be more comfortable if no one outside this room knows something is amiss.

"What the hell is going on with you?" I ask loudly but trying to show my genuine concern. "What's happened while you were away?"

Her eyes are as big as I have ever seen them as she glares at me angrily. "Leave it be Malfoy. It's none of your business."

I see her pull the sleeve of her way too large robe over her mangled hand so I decide to move closer to stop her from trying to run away. I will be a coward when it comes to my feelings for her every time, but now that I see her this frightened and upset I won't back down until I know she's okay.

"Let me see your hand Granger." I demand as I hold my hand palm up.

"I told you to get out." She repeats herself.

I keep my hand out and speak softly hoping to calm her unsettled state. "I just caught you clawing at your own hand while obviously very upset. I'm not leaving this office until I know why."

Hermione pauses, seeming to consider the situation for a moment. "Then you will be in here quite awhile." She finally says, standing and turning to go around the other side of the desk to make her exit.

I grab the forearm of her good handed arm to stop her, with plans to make her show me her hand so I can see the damage. She gasps in pain, and jerks her arm away from me to cradle it against her chest before I can. Her bloody fingers clutch it and she lets out another large sob. "Get away from me!"

I jerk my hands away from her, startled by her reaction. "Did I…?" I start to question as she backs away until her back hits the wall next to the door. "No, there's no way what I just did caused you that much pain on it's own."

"Malfoy please leave." She asks with fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. "Forget what you just saw and leave me alone."

After a long silence with the two of us staring at each other I finally answer. "I can't. . . And I won't."

I stay where I am as to not spook her into fleeing, but it's no use. She bolts out the door before I can even take one step forward. And worst of all she is nowhere to be seen in the office by the time I make it down the hall back to the entrance of the department. I feel sick knowing she could be anywhere doing who knows what. Hannah seems to be making notes in her weekly planner and so I make my way to her desk; not knowing what else to do.

"Did Granger already leave for the day?" I ask. "I wanted to fill her in on the outcome of the Morton case but she wasn't in her office."

Hannah looks up, but does not smile. It's her usual face for me making it is obvious she isn't worried about Hermione's sudden departure. "She just left actually. Said she wasn't feeling well and might head to St. Mungos before going home."

"That's too bad. Did she say when she would return?" I make sure I don't sound worried or too interested in Hermione's well being.

"She said she'd return on Wednesday for her meetings and asked me to forward all the mail on her desk to her home. I was just about to head back to her office to gather it up and then send a few owls with all her post."

"I guess it can wait than." I respond while flicking some lint off my shoulder to sound extra bored. "Abbott." I nod at her as I make my departure from her desk.

I'm not going to lie. I am really really worried about her. I've never ever seen her look or act like that. She's a Gryffindor through and through, and they aren't known to run from their problems like she just did. All of me wants to go straight to her home to confront her and find out what happened, or at the very least watch over her so I can protect her from whatever it is thats happening. The only problem is that she just moved into a house with Charlie a few months ago and I have no idea where it is. I can't get to her even though I worry her well being depends on it.

I honestly don't know how I'm going to make it to Wednesday. The past three weeks were torture, but I know the next 48 hours are going to be even worse. At least I thought she was safe when she was on her honeymoon, but now that I know something is very wrong I am in agony knowing there is nothing I can currently do to protect her.

Even though I don't know how I am going to handle the next two days, I do know one thing: If this is her husband putting her through this, coward or not, I am going to kill him.


	4. Chapter 4

**It's nice to be writing again. I almost forgot how much I missed it.**

JK owns HP as always

 **Chapter 4**

It's Wednesday finally. As expected every second since I last saw her has been torture. Knowing she is in danger and not being able to do anything about it is far worse than anything Voldemort did to me during the war.

I am already in Hermione's office; disillusioned so she won't see me when she comes in. Even though she doesn't realize it, I know her better than I know almost anyone. And I know that she plans on getting here an hour early and barricading herself inside her office so I cannot confront her about what I saw Monday.

That is why I am here two hours early. I'm not going to give her the chance to avoid me all week like I know she intends to.

Sure enough, forty minutes later she shows up; wearing equally as unflattering robes as Monday. I'm hidden in the corner of the dark room, though invisible to her eyes. She can't even see me when she turns the lights on and peeks around the room to make sure there are no intruders. As I suspected she does not check the room magically to see if someone is hiding. She wouldn't think it necessary as she has no idea how determined I am to find out what has been happening to her the past few weeks.

Also as I suspected she closes the door and locks it before placing several wards. It is clear she is trying to avoid any unwanted visitors barging in as I did two days ago.

As the last one of her Roman shades closes she breathes a sigh of relief, thinking she has closed her office off to the rest of the world. She looks even worse for wear than the last time I saw her. There are bags under her eyes and I know she's barely slept in days. She's back in her usual formal color of navy at least, but the robe looks two sizes too big for her and the sleeves come down just past her fingertips.

I wait to make myself visible again until she has sat in her chair and placed her wand on the desk. She rolls the sleeve of her right hand up just enough so she can grab a quill, and I get the first glimpse of a big purple bruise around her wrist.

Charlie Weasley is a dead man.

Even if he isn't the one doing this to her. He is suppose to be the one keeping her safe and it is obvious he is not doing his job. How does he not know how lucky he is to have her love and affection? If I was in his position she would never feel hurt, neglect, or fear. Because if she did I would destroy anyone who got in the way of her happiness or well being.

I hate to do this to her, but I can't allow her to run off on me again.

" _Expelliarmus!_ " I say firmly, causing her wand to shoot off the desk and directly into my outstretched hand.

She looks startled by my sudden appearance, though not completely surprised.

I walk toward her taking one step at a time slowly; staying silent so she has to start the conversation. Its an interrogation tactic my father taught me.

"Well I guess you did say you weren't leaving this office without answers." It sounds as if she is almost relieved. " I should have thrown a _revelio_ in with my other spells while I was at it, but it's too late now."

I keep silent. She needs to ask a question before I can respond to her.

"What do you want?" She finally asks after a long silence.

"To help you." I answer honestly.

"I don't believe you Malfoy."

"You are one of the strongest people I have ever known Granger, there is no way I can leave you alone or forget about what I saw you doing to yourself Monday." She luckily doesn't move away as I finally make it to stand beside her.

Her answer is almost a whisper. "Why do you care?"

I ignore her question because this is definitely the wrong time and place to tell her my true feelings and I grab her uninjured hand as gently as possible instead. Her chair swivels to face me involuntarily at my action. "Let me see your arm please?" My other hand is laid gently on the wrist so I can slide her sleeve back and get a good look at what I fear I will find.

Hermione finally nods as she turns her head away and closes her eyes. Her cheeks are wet as she begins to cry softly.

"Bloody Baron's sword." I curse as I slide her sleeve up. A series of bruises now litter her slender arm and I wonder how many more are elsewhere on her body. I can also see her other hand and it's clear now that the scratches she's made were focused on her fourth finger.

I'm sure I look angry as I bite my tongue and take a deep breath. In my soul I know this had to be her new husband who did this. Why else would she be trying to claw her wedding ring off. I won't lie, part of me is happy as this means I may have a chance with her again. Though a bigger part of me is so angry it wants to kill him for hurting her this way. I really thought he knew how lucky he was to have her and would treat her accordingly.

"I know it's bad." She finally says as she pushes me back a step and adjusts her sleeve down again.

"Did Charlie do this to you?" I ask as calmly as possible.

"I…" She starts. "I can't say."

"Bloody hell Granger!" I throw my arms up as my anger gets the best of me. "You look like a dalmatian with all of those spots you're covered in. It's not that difficult of an answer. Either he did this to you, or he didn't."

"No Draco you don't understand." I'm surprised with her use of my first name. "I literally cannot confirm or deny your question." She raises her severely scratched left hand up out of her sleeve and stares at her ring finger for a few moments before looking me in the eyes again.

Her meaning finally hits me. I really should have known that someone as strong as Hermione wouldn't have allowed herself to be treated that way unless there was something powerful stopping her. There's a curse on her ring keeping her from telling anyone what has happened to her over the past three weeks, and due to my heritage I am pretty sure I know exactly which one. The Malfoy library's section on dark magic sure does come in handy sometimes.

I rub one hand over my face to keep myself calm. I am honestly the only one who can help her now and I won't be able to if I lose my temper. Because if I lose my temper I am going to head straight to the dragon reserve and kill Charlie Weasley. "He used _Audi Percepta_ didn't he?"

"I can't say." She repeats herself but looks relieved.

"I'm getting you out of here Granger. I can try and break the curse."

"That's another thing I can't do. I have meetings all day that have been pushed back far enough. I don't want to draw suspicion or get in trouble for slacking in my work. I have worked too hard for this department to end up demoted or fired." She says firmly. "And even if there were no meetings; Charlie is expecting me to go home from work and nowhere else."

"That bastard is controlling you beyond keeping you silent too?" I ask.

"There are a lot of things I cannot say Malfoy." She looks me in the eye as if to try and give me a hint of what I can do. "But what I can say is that I plan on apparating home shortly after four this afternoon."

She's giving me a clue so I can help her. If she can't willingly go with me to the manor than I will have to kidnap her. She can't know what the plan is or the curse on her ring may force her to find a way around me. And if she does she will be forced to go straight home to where he is surely waiting for her. Waiting to beat her and who knows what else, and I can't let that happen.

Scratch that. I won't let that happen.

He will never see her again if I can help it.


	5. Chapter 5

**For those of you who also read Paper Airplanes you will notice that the spell Charlie has used on Hermione in this story is the same one Draco uses on her in that. Also I should have a new chapter of Paper Airplanes up within the next week as well as I am 90% of the way done with it.**

Disclaimer: JK owns HP.

A Wedding and a Funeral

Chapter 5

It's just before four in the afternoon. I'm disillusioned in the ministry atrium. It's the only place you can apparate in and out of the building so I know Hermione will have to come this way in her attempt to go home. I'm hidden from view so she won't be forced to avoid me; as I don't want to miss her as she tries to leave.

I got pretty much all my work done for the week over the past two days. I was trying to keep myself busy instead of thinking about her; so that left me free today to plot how to get her to safety and away from her husband. I even went home during a long lunch to prepare everything.

You see the spell I believe Charlie used is so dark and rare there is no specific name for it. Just the spoken Latin words _Audi Percepta_ is how it is recognized. The wizard that casts it on a wearable set of items will gain complete control of another person, but only if they can get the intended person to put one of the items on willingly.

I know, it's worse than the imperious curse right? Because with this spell you have no hope of breaking free from its control.

Luckily I spot Hermione approaching after only ten minutes. The atrium is a busy place, and since I'm practically invisible I've had to avoid a few people who have gotten too close to me. I would normally find it funny to play tricks on people while invisible, but don't want to draw suspicion and ruin my plans. So I dodge every speedwalking wizard and frenzied witch who might accidentally bump into me.

As Hermione passes me to go to the apparition point I follow her closely; making sure I stay hot on her heels. I won't let her slip away from me like I did Monday; Not when her safety depends on it. If I can help it she won't ever have to go back to that sorry excuse for a man whose been abusing her.

I want to convince myself that I'm just doing this to keep her safe and nothing else matters; but let's face it, I'm still a Slytherin. I know deep down another reason why I'm doing this is because it could be my one shot to get her to love me like I love her. All this time I've believed that one day my chance would come. And here it finally is. An opportunity to get her to forgive me for how I treated her at Hogwarts. An opportunity to make her feel the way I do.

I know. It's horrible for me to use this terrible situation for my own benefit.

I want to feel bad about it but I don't. The only thing I do regret is that I didn't make any attempts to set things right with her earlier. Maybe if I had, she would have been with me when her dragon sanctuary opened. Maybe she never would have had the opportunity to fall in love with Charlie and we could have avoided this whole mess. And most of all, maybe she never would have been in this horrible situation.

She finally stops in the center of the designated area. Usually people apparate out as soon as they cross the wards line, but she seems to be stalling. Whether it's because she's dreading going home, or attempting to give me a chance to get to her I do not know. What I do know is that I'm ready. I'm right behind her with my hand hovering over her left shoulder; ready to grab on as soon as she makes her attempt to apparate. I'm also ready for step two, Which is why my wand is already in my right hand.

I've seen her apparate over a hundred times and I know the cues. She always raises her wand in preparation before shaking her shoulders and head slightly. It's like she needs to mentally prepare herself every time.

As soon as her head makes that third bob I know it's time. I clutch down on her shoulder just as she disappears; now forced to take me with her.

We land in her and Charlie's living room. It's tastefully decorated; soft muted greens that bring the outdoors in. It's nice and simple just like I expected from her. Luckily he is nowhere to be seen, and with my hand still on her shoulder I apparate us away from the cozy cottage and into my room at the manor.

Both travels happen in less than five seconds making it so she has barely had time to process that I've grabbed onto her at all. She stumbles from the surprise of the extra jump, and I wrap my arm around her waist from behind to stop her from falling.

This is how I've always fantasized about holding her, though the situation is much less appealing than I envisioned. She's not even a willing participant in this scenario.

Also my fantasies contain a lot more nudity and tongues.

"You can let me go now Malfoy." She finally says; as I have let my hands linger on her a little too long. Luckily she doesn't seem surprised or angry by my presence.

"Right. Sorry." I drop my hands from her body and take a step back to give her some space.

I touch my wand to the top of my head so she can see me again, but she isn't paying me any attention anymore. I see her taking in the surroundings of my room instead. As suspected she is very curious. Currently she is looking out the large patio doors and past the balcony to see the outside.

"We're at Malfoy Manor?" She asks, though she already knows the answer.

"Yes." I confirm. "It's the safest place I could think of."

"I never thought I'd see the day where I considered this place safe." She sighed. "But here we are I guess."

"The wards won't allow you to apparate in or out unless accompanied by me or my mother, so even if he has commanded you to come home you won't be able to." I inform her.

Luckily she looks relieved. "Good."

"I also figured it's one of the last places he'd look for you."

She nods in agreement, but stays silent otherwise.

It's time for the hard part now. I grab a potion out of my inner robe pocket and hold it out towards her. "Take this."

She takes the vial from me and stares at it curiously. The vibrant purple color is easily giving its contents away. "Thanks Malfoy, but I really don't think now is the right time for a nap."

She tries to hand the vial of dreamless sleep potion back, but I ignore it. "Look Granger, I know you still don't really trust or like me; but you do not want to be conscious for what I'm going to have to do next."

"You're right." She raises her eyebrows and cocks her head to one side. "I don't trust you."

Ouch. That stings. Regardless, I keep my emotionless mask in place.

"Either way. You are being controlled by a curse you cannot tell me about. That means it's possible you will be forced to try and stop me from what I'm going to have to do next."

"So you want me to just let you do whatever you want to me while I'm unconscious?" She looks both offended and disgusted at the idea. "Not a chance."

Again; ouch. If she thinks this is what counts as anything I want to do to her, she's in for a rude awakening. I want her wide awake for all the things I'd really like to do to her; and this is far from one of them. Though it is a necessity to get her out of Charlie's control.

"Do you want my help or not Granger?" I ask though I know I'll knock her out with other means if necessary. That ring is coming off one way or another.

She looks down to the floor with a sigh. After a long pause she finally nods. "Yes Malfoy I do. No one else has noticed my behavior and I can't get out of this mess by myself, so yes. You're the only help I have."

Ha! Take that Potter. Who's going to be the hero now?

"Then believe me when I say that the process of helping you out of your current predicament is very painful. You will be better off not seeing or feeling what's coming."

If it's possible her eyebrows raise even more. She looks frightened again and it makes me cringe inside that I've done that to her. But there is only one way I know of to get that ring off and I will not be able to do it if she's screaming in agony. She's going to have to take the potion on her own or I'll stun her and force it down her throat.

Hermione opens her mouth to ask what it is I'm going to do, but I cut her off. "Don't ask Granger. I can't tell you anyway."

She sighs again and tilts her head back. "Okay fine. I'm not comfortable giving up control."

I snort loudly. "I've noticed."

She gives me a very stern look but continues. "To you of all people especially."

Her words wound me. "Learly.

"But if this is what I have to do to get away from..." It looks like she wants to say something but it's obvious the curse is stopping her. "Things...Then fine. I'll drink the damn potion."

She starts to uncork the bottle with the intention of downing it, so I place a hand on it to stop her. "I'm glad you've finally seen reason, but you should probably lie down first."

"Of course." It's cute how she looks furious with herself for that obvious oversight. "Where?"

"I've got a bed right over there." I say. I know I've used a tone to tease her and the angry look she's now giving me makes me want to snog her silly.

"Out of the question."

"Fine by me. I just figured you'd want to be comfortable." I goad her. "There's a chair in the corner if you'd rather, but the eight to ten hours you'll be in it probably won't do your back any favors."

Her face is so reminiscent of Professor McGonagall's stern stare that it's a little scary; but she finally storms over to my bed and sits on it; stomping the whole way.

"Also if you have clothes on under that tarp you're wearing I suggest you get rid of it. It'll only get in the way." I add, both telling the truth but trying to rile her up even more as well.

If looks could kill, I'd be a very dead man; but she pulls the robe off over her head and throws it violently to the floor. Underneath she is wearing a button up Muggle blouse and black slacks.

Once again, this is not her style. He must be making her wear stuff that keeps her completely covered because this also is very unflattering. Something seems off with his behavior, but I can't quite put my finger on it. And let's face it, I want to condemn him to hell for not only hurting Hermione, but for ruining all my chances with her as well.

Hermione has now removed her shoes as well, and as she starts to scoot back into position on the bed she begins to laugh.

"What's funny?" I ask curiously as there really is nothing funny about what's happening.

"If you had told me back at Hogwarts that I'd end up in your bed someday I'd have had you committed to St. Mungos mental ward." She shakes her head at the ludicrous idea.

I can't help it, I laugh too. "Glad I could make your fantasy come true Granger."

She scoffs but there is still a smile on her face. It makes me happy that she can still smile even when she is feeling so defeated from the past few weeks events.

"Are you ready?" I finally ask after a short silence.

"As I'll ever be." She says as she finally uncorks the vial. "Here goes nothing I guess."

Hermione tips the potion back; downing it all in one go before laying back so her head rests on my pillow. There is no way I'll ever be able to get the image of her lying in my bed out of my head. Though I'll probably try to remember her wearing something more attractive.

"Goodnight Granger." I wish her as her eyelids begin to droop. "This should all be over by the time you wake up."

And just like that she's out like a light. So deep asleep not even the awful things coming will wake her.

As much as I'd love to watch her sleep for a while, I have a short window of time to get things done. It's not that I can't complete everything necessarily, but she will need time to heal. I'd like for her to be comfortable when she finally wakes and it will take several hours after I cut her finger off for that to be possible.

Yes, you heard that correctly. I'm going to have to cut her ring finger off; and yes, completely. The curse won't let anyone but Charlie take the ring off so instead it will have to be her finger that comes off.

What? You thought that there would be some countercurse for this? This is dark magic we are talking about. The creator of this spell wanted the effects to be permanent, and made no escape for his victims. Luckily for Hermione, the Malfoys' copy of _Magick Moste Evile_ had notes from a long dead ancestor about how to get around it. Hooray for loopholes. I'm just glad that Charlie decided to curse her wedding ring instead of a necklace; there would be no getting around that.

My guess is that Charlie has commanded that she not cut her finger off, which is why she was trying to scratch it off instead. That is why I am going to do it for her. So with little time to spare I head two doors down to my home-office to retrieve the supplies I gathered earlier.

I have everything lined up on a sterling silver tray. An old cursed dagger to do the deed with; it should be able to cut through pretty much anything, even with the dark spell on her ring. An IV line so I can administer potions while she's unconscious. Two blood replenishing potions. A large jar of dittany. And lastly, a bottle of skele-gro.

Now I know I'm kind of a tosser, but you didn't think I was just going to cut off one of her fingers and leave her like that did you? Of course not. I'm going to grow it back!

At least I hope I'm going to.

With the tray in hand, I head back to my bedroom. She's still there in my bed; as deep asleep as humanly possible. I want to run my fingers through her wild hair so bad, but I don't want to be a creep; so I keep my hands to myself. She looks more at peace than I have seen her all week, and I hate that I am about to ruin it; but this must be done.

As I approach, I unload the contents onto the nightstand before slipping the tray under her left hand; I want to keep the blood flow as contained as possible. I also conjure a small stool to sit on beside the bed so I'll be more on her level to get the job done. Not wanting to waste time, I set up the line for the potion IV, and stick her hand with the needle before taping it down.

After lining everything else up in the order I'll need them I feel like I am about to perform surgery. I may have spent all day preparing for this, but suddenly I feel I haven't prepped nearly enough. Even though I know this needs to be done, the reality of it hits me and I get nauseous. All the preparation in the world couldn't stop this feeling of self doubt from creeping up.

Knowing it's now or never I grab the cursed knife and hold it over her finger. My hand is shaking from nerves causing the dagger to be unstable. I want a clean cut so I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths; counting to five before opening them again. My trick works, and without further delay I line the blade up confidently just behind her gold wedding band and press down as hard as I can.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: JK all the way.

 **A Wedding and a Funeral**

 **Chapter 6**

It's almost midnight. She should be waking up soon. She'll be in for quite a surprise when she does, but hopefully she'll be relieved as well.

The procedure was a success. Her new finger is still growing; it's only about three quarters of the way to its normal size, but the skin has grown back over the new bone so there shouldn't be any lasting damage. The new skin is also quite a bit paler than the rest of her hand, but there is no ring on it for Charlie to control her with anymore.

The dagger was sharp enough that I was able to saw the finger off in one cut, but there had been a lot more blood than I had anticipated. Luckily, I was able to clean it up easily once I had finished administering the potions and dittany.

I can't help it anymore and I sit back in the stool beside the bed. I grip her hand in mine, reveling in the softness of her skin. It feels good beneath my fingers.

Wow, I feel like a creep. I hastily remove my hand and stand back up; pacing the room in anticipation to keep myself from touching her unconscious form again.

After a few more minutes I finally hear her begin to stir. I don't want it to look like I've been watching her sleep, which I have been, so I grab a medical book from the table and sit in the arm chair in the corner. If I pretend I've been reading maybe she won't realize I've been staring at her like the stalker I am.

She sighs deeply as her eyes begin to flutter, and her right hand comes up to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"Malfoy?" She asks as she sits up slowly. It looks as if she is trying to remember how she ended up here.

I set my book down calmly and stand right back up. "How are you feeling?" I ask as I approach the bedside.

"A bit drowsy still." She answers with a stretch. "How did whatever it was go?" She asks as she lifts her left hand to check for her wedding ring.

"Oh my god!" She softly shouts as she spots her still growing ringless finger. "What did you do?"

"Exactly what I said you wouldn't want to be awake for." I try to remind her. "Believe me now?"

Her brown eyes are like saucers.

"Where is it?" She asks as she stares at her currently deformed hand a minute longer before turning her head to look at me. "What did you do?"

I huff before grabbing a small box from the nightstand. I knew she'd be too curious when she realized what I'd done so I kept it to show her. I hand the silver keepsake box over silently and wait for her inevitable reaction.

She muffles a small gaspy scream as she lifts the hinged lid and takes a look. The engagement/wedding ring combo is staring up at her; still attached to her severed finger.

"What did you do?" She repeats; though this time she looks mortified. She can't seem to pry her eyes away from the antique box's contents.

"I did what had to be done Granger." I reply. "Unless you'd rather still be wearing that blasted control devise?"

"Of course not!" She looks offended. "But was there really no other option?"

"Do you think I would have resorted to cutting off your finger if there was a better alternative?" I spit back a little more venomously than intended. "I'll have you know it's not exactly my favorite way to spend a Wednesday evening."

"So sorry that you had to touch my muddy blood than Malfoy." She retorts loudly and sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" I shout back. Man I'm really mucking this up.

"No, actually." She slams the box back down on the side table and continues to shout back at me. "I don't know that. You have made the point time and time again how much the idea of touching me repulses you. So it's still very unclear why you have volunteered yourself for getting your hands dirty with my supposed dirty muggle blood!"

Damn. There's that fiery temper I love to hate.

"Why the fuck are we even fighting!" I yell in confusion as to how we got to here. "I haven't thought your blood muddy in years Granger." I say much more calmly but still firm.

The anger in her face changes to the confusion I'm sure is mirrored on my own. "You haven't?"

"Of course not. What? You thought I was going to stay a purist prick all they into adult hood? After the hell I went through in that bloody war?" I say. The wars not the real reason as obviously falling in love with her was, but she doesn't need to know that yet. "Your the fucking brightest witch of our age, of course I stopped believing that shite. I couldn't very well work effectively in the office if I still thought you were beneath me could I?"

"Oh." She says softly after a small pause.

Ha! I've stumped her!

"Now do you want to tell me what the bloody hell has happened to you since your wedding so I can continue to help your stubborn arse?" I slump down in the stool beside the bed.

She sighs and looks down at her lap; bottom lip caught between her teeth. "I don't want it to sound like I don't appreciate what you've done for me tonight." She sighs again. Uh oh. "But I think I'd rather keep this private. I can handle it from here."

"No. No way." I'm angry again. I deserve some answers after everything I've just done for her. "You are in my home Granger. After I have just helped you in the way that I have I think I'm entitled to some answers."

I see the fire start to bubble up in her eyes. She hates being backed into a corner. I continue on before she can get a word in edgewise.

"You are going to confirm what I'm pretty sure I already know, and after that I'm going to take pictures of everything; the finger, the ring, and all of your bruises. Then, tomorrow, we are going to go to the aurors and you are going to file for divorce. After that, when you take him to court, I am going testify everything I've seen and had to do today."

After a long pause of her only staring at me curiously she finally responds. "You're acting strange."

This is not what I expected her to say. I expected more yelling, or maybe her trying to worm her way out of telling me anything. "What do you mean?"

"You're being caring and helpful. And to me of all people."

To her of all people indeed. If this was anyone else I'd have completely ignored them. "I've changed since the war thank you very much. Everyone's just been too absorbed in themselves to notice."

"So there's no ulterior motive?" She doesn't sound quite convinced. "There isn't something you're hoping to gain from all this?"

I'm going to have to lie. I can't exactly blurt out 'yes you're undying love and devotion for the rest of our lives', so I settle for as close to the truth as possible.

"No, I don't have any ulterior motives." I claim. "I've known you half my life Granger, and even though I was awful to you at Hogwarts I really don't like the idea of anything bad happening to you."

She stares at me for a moment as if she's trying to read my mind, but even if she is I'm too good at occlumency for it to work.

"I'm having a hard time trusting anyone right now as I'm sure you can imagine. You swear that's all? You aren't just going to try and use this against me later or as a way to make me look foolish."

"I swear Granger." I try to convey my trustworthiness. "There's nothing in this for me except knowing my coworker is safe from her husband and I did everything I could to help her."

Hermione sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose with her good hand. "Alright Malfoy. I'll tell you what happened, but you have to swear that it stays between us until I say otherwise."

"I swear." We are finally getting somewhere now. "How did this happen? When did it start?"

"On our wedding night. It was like a switch was flipped and he turned into some jealous and controlling lunatic." She recalls while obviously attempting to control her emotions. It's extremely hard not to go and try and comfort her, but I stand my ground. Well, sit my ground; as I'm currently in a stool.

"Was that the first time he beat you?" I really need that confirmation before I go kill the bastard.

"No, he didn't hit me that night. He just started accusing me of having an affair with Viktor Krum."

"Why would he think that? That has-been has always been more into you than you've been into him."

She glares at me as if to tell me to be quiet and let her finish, so I do. I really don't know why Krum annoys me so much, maybe it's because I'm jealous that he was her first kiss.

"Within five minutes of arriving at our hotel he starts accusing me of infidelity. Viktor and I shared one dance at the reception and he acted as if we'd been sneaking around behind his back." She says as she wipes a single tear from her cheek.

"Were you?" I ask.

She looks extremely offended that I even asked that.

"Absolutely not!" She exclaims. "I love Charlie. . .loved Charlie."

Ouch that hurts. I knew she had, but having her say it directly to me really stings.

"Okay, so the two of you fought that night over his mistrust and jealousy." I say trying to push on. "So when did he get your ring and curse it? And it has to be put on willingly, so how did he trick you into putting it back on after he'd cursed it."

She leaned her back against the headboard to try and get comfortable. "After trying unsuccessfully to calm him down and make him realize he was being ridiculous, I left him alone to get out of my wedding dress. I took off my ring and other jewelry and sat it on the dresser so I could get a shower. He must have cursed it while I was in there because it glowed green for a second when I put it back on once I got out."

"Did you realize what it was at that point? Or did he command you to do something before you knew what had been done?"

"He had been waiting for it to glow green, and then made his first command before I even knew what was happening. He asked me if I had ever cheated on him and demanded I answer honestly. I couldn't control myself and I told him no, I had never even so much as thought of another man since we had gotten together."

"And did that make him happy?"

"He looked relieved and hugged me. I was still mad at him though and tried to push him away. That set him off again and he ended up throwing me onto the bed." Her voice starts to crack through her tale at this point, but she pushes on. "That's when he commanded me to stay silent and lay there calmly."

I'm surprised I haven't had an aneurism from trying to control my temper. What I want more than anything is to take a page out of my Aunt Bella's book and torture him until he begs for death. "He forced himself on you?"

She nods as more tears spill down her cheeks and she wipes them away. It's no wonder I found her in the state I did on Monday. "And pretty much every night since. He seemed to get rougher and more angry with me every day."

Fuck I'm going to kill him. I managed to get out of murder all through the war, but this time I'm really going to do it. He. Is. Dead.

"I don't understand why he waited until after we were married to do this!" She starts to cry.

"We're going to the ministry to report him tomorrow." I say to try and make sure I don't end up in Azkaban for murder.

"No." She answers, which surprises me. I figured she'd want him put away more than I do.

"Granger your piece of shite husband raped and beat you, used an extremely illegal spell so you couldn't tell anyone or escape him, and basically made you his slave for over three weeks and you just want to let him get away with it?" I yell, not able to control my fury anymore.

"If you would have let me finish I was going to say no, not tomorrow." She defends herself. "I need a day or two to get my thoughts in order, and I need to tell the Weasleys in person before anyone else. They deserve to find out from me and not from some article in the Daily Prophet or the arresting official."

"I guess I can understand that." I say while attempting to keep my emotions in check. "I'll give you through the weekend then, but Monday morning you are going."

"What happened to doing things on my terms?" She reminds me. "You agreed to it staying between us until I decided otherwise."

"That was before I knew how bad it was." I try and trick her into doing it my way.

"You said you wanted to help Malfoy. If you've changed your mind I don't blame you, but I will do things the way I see fit." She is obviously not going to be swayed. "I'll be out of your hair now that the ring is off anyway."

"No. You're right." I say while hiding my panic. The last thing I want to do is drive her off. Not when I'm finally starting to have actual interactions with her that aren't work related. "You can do things however you feel is best. You can stay here while you sort things out. The wards here at Malfoy Manor are far superior to anywhere else in England. You'll be safest here."

"Thank you for the offer." She crosses her arms over her chest "I guess I really can't go to Ron's, he'll look for me there and I'm not ready to confront him yet. Same with Ginny and Harry's. In fact he'll probably try there first."

"You can hide out here as long as you need." I lean in towards her slightly and place my hands in the bed beside her leg. "He'll never find you here."

"Thanks Draco." Oh my god, did she actually just use my name instead of just Malfoy? "I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't stepped in. I don't think I can quite convey how grateful I am for what you've done for me."

She reaches one arm out and grabs my left hand which is closest to her; giving it a squeeze in the process. It's soft and warm and I want more than anything to be able to hold it and place a kiss to the back of it.

What? It's a figure of speech. Obviously the thing I want more than anything is for her to be riding my todger.

"You don't have to Hermione." I say simply. "I already know."

"You do, do you?" She gives me the first small smile I've seen in her since her wedding.

"Yeah. I do." I remove my hands before I do something stupid like fondle her hand with my thumb, or tuck that stray curl behind her ear. "And I also know that it is way past midnight by now and we should probably get some sleep."

"I was out for that long?" She looks surprised.

"You needed it for recovery time." I tap her left hand to remind her of why she'd been knocked out in the first place. "Which I know you just got up, but you still need more to heal properly. Plus, from how purple the bags under your eyes are, I can tell that what you got was not nearly enough to catch up in what you lost the past few weeks."

"I am still exhausted." She admitted bashfully.

"You can sleep in here tonight since you are already settled." I stand and grab her one of my button up night shirts from the closet. It should be big enough to cover everything, though regardless I will be picturing her in it all night. Picturing what's underneath it anyway. Well, Picturing me unbuttoning it while she rides my todger. Okay, sorry. I'll stop.

"Are you sure?" She asks as she takes the top from me. "I don't want to kick you out of your own room."

"It's just for one night." I assure her as I grab a full set for myself. "I'll sleep in the guest room next door, and we can switch tomorrow once you're fully healed."

"If you insist."

"I do." I hope she sleeps okay after everything that's happened. "Goodnight Granger."

"Goodnight Malfoy." She replies as I leave.

As I drift off to sleep after I finally calm down, I can't help but make note of the fact that Hermione Granger is actually sleeping in my bed.

Now if only I was actually in it with her. 


	7. Chapter 7

**A Wedding and a Funeral**

 **Chapter 7**

 **Disclaimer: JK owns HP; Always**

There's a rapping noise. Why is there a rapping noise?

I sit up in the unfamiliar bed that I now realize is the one in the guest room closest to my bedroom suite. At the sound of the door opening I look over to see my mother entering the room.

This probably isn't good. I didn't tell her that I was bringing Granger here. Now that she knows I slept in the guest bedroom she will want to know why I didn't sleep in my own room last night; if she doesn't already.

"Oh, good. You're awake." She says as she magically pulls the drapes back to let the morning sunlight in.

It's too bright and I scrunch my eyes closed to try and get away from it. "God's mother, a little warning please!"

"Tilly told me the most interesting story this morning and I was just coming to see if it was true or not." She has a coy smile. "I can see now that it was."

That damn house elf probably came to bring me my morning tea and saw Granger there instead. "How much do you know?" I sigh. I never could keep anything from her.

"Hermione Granger is apparently sleeping in your room while you obviously slept here." She says calmly. "What is she doing here Draco?"

"It's complicated." I answer simply, though know that won't be a good enough answer for my mother.

"She has just been married, very publicly I might add; so complicated better turn to nothing real fast. I mean what were you thinking letting her stay the night Draco?" She scolds me. "What must her husband be thinking right now over the fact that she never came home last night? This better be work related or for the love of Merlin I will br-"

"Mother!" I finally end her ranting.

When that finally stops her tirade, I continue on. "Hermione and Charlie are having some problems already. Bad problems. I gave her a place to stay last night until she feels up to confronting him. That's all. I was just trying to be a good coworker."

"Problems?" She looks intrigued. "What kind of problems."

"That, mother dearest, is Hermione's business to tell. Not mine." I throw the comforter off my body and finally stand so I can begin getting ready. "Perhaps you can interrogate her during afternoon tea. I told her she could stay here until she decides what to do about her marriage."

"You did what?" My mother asks, though surprisingly she doesn't seem upset about it.

"I'm letting her stay here. I'll have Tilly set this room up for her for the remainder of her stay. It's just that after what I heard yesterday there was no way I was going to make her go back home to that bastard and she was also too distraught for me to make her move rooms." I say starting to get angry all over again. "Hence her sleeping in my bed while I slept in here. I'm not completely heartless."

"Okay." My mother says looking unsurprised and emotionless. "Just make sure her being here stays out of the paper. It would be just like Rita Skeeter to try and turn this into some affair scandal."

I know my mother is right: That's exactly what Rita Skeeter would do. And something like that is exactly what could ruin all the hard work my mother has put into the untarnishing of the Malfoy name.

"I'll do my best, but I'm already late for work." I nod as I head toward the bathroom to freshen up for the day. "Hermione will not be joining me so feel free to keep her company until I get back."

She narrows her eyes at me and it makes me realize that I've just used her first name twice in the last few minutes instead of using her last. Shit! That probably looked suspicious. Hopefully that didn't just clue my mother in on my true feelings toward the girl in the room across the hall.

"Sure." She answers after a small pause. "I'd rather her stay here than have the pair of you arrive to the office together. Can you imagine the backlash we would face if that were to happen?"

"Yes, mother. I can." I roll my eyes. It seems all she cares about anymore is our image to the public. "I won't let anyone know she's staying with us. Now can you please leave so I can get ready?"

"Yes." She says, coy smile back in place. "I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were doing, but it seems I have nothing to worry about."

She makes her way to the door curtly. "See you this evening Draco."

And by that she means she wants to talk again when I return. There will be no dalliances under her roof and she's going to make sure both of my feet are no where near crossing the line.

I sigh before getting into the shower. I wish I could take the rest of the week off, but I know how bad it will look if both Hermione and I are absent the next two days and I'll need to cover her meetings as well as mine so we don't get backed up. I'll just have to lie and say I got an owl from Hermione and let Hannah know she's out the rest of the week.

xxxxxxxxx

I knock on my own bedroom door. It's a weird feeling not to be able to just go in, but I don't want to get slapped if she's indecent and I barge in unannounced. Oh who am I kidding, it would be worth the punch in the face to get a peek of her perky tits; but she probably doesn't need me ogling her added to her list of things to worry about, hence the reason why I'm rapping at my own door.

She opens the door a crack, I'm guessing to make sure it's only me. My pride swells a little at the thought of being the only person she wants to see right now.

"Yes?" She asks looking me over, most likely because I'm in only a bathrobe, but I like to think she's checking me out a little too.

"I came to get some of my clothes Granger." I decide to flirt with her a little since she's soon to be single anyway. "Unless you'd like me to spend the day in the nude?"

Her eyes widen to the size of saucers at my suggestion. "Um, no. You can come in." She says regaining composure quickly and opening the door a bit wider.

"Your loss." I joke as I strut into my room. "Kidding Granger, kidding." I add at the 'you'd be dead if looks could kill' look she's now giving me. "I also wanted to check on you before I head into the office."

"You mean before we head into the office?" She asks accusingly, arms crossed.

Adorable. Especially in that button up shirt of mine that sits higher up on her thighs than she probably realizes.

"No." I counter, noticing the purple marks on the inside of her thighs. It makes me angry all over again, but I keep firm. "Before I head in. By myself."

"Like hell you are!" She yells at my back as I enter my closet without shutting the door behind me

She can't see me from where she stands, but I like giving her the opportunity to come spy on me if she chooses to peek around the door. In fact, I hope she does.

"Granger!" I stand firm as I drop the robe to the floor. I hope she's peeking. "You are not leaving this house unless it is to warn your in-laws about what your husband did to you right before we go to the Auror office to report him. And right now I need to head into our department to take care of both of our meetings for the day as well as let Hannah know you won't be in the rest of the week."

"So what?" She sounds aggravated. "I'm just suppose to stay here in your house, wearing nothing but your shirt and fiddling my thumbs all day?"

Oh gods, is she really wearing nothing under that shirt of mine? Yeah I'm definitely going to be picturing that image in my head the rest of the day.

"No! I have clients I have to take care of." She continues. "I can't just hide out because something horrible happened in my personal life."

"I know, that's why I'm going in at all." I explain as I pull my boxers up my legs. Seems she missed her chance to see me in the buff. "If you remember, I was the one who took care of all your cases while you were away for three weeks. I think I can handle them another few days as well."

"I know you can, but that's not the point." I hear her stomp a foot. "I've already missed enough work due to my lousy honeymoon. How's it going to look if I only work one and half days the week I return?"

"Well not great if you're a no call no show." I say as I emerge from my closet in my usual pristine black tailored robes. "I'll just lie and tell everyone that you've caught a nasty bug while in Paris and you're still fighting it off. And that the reason you owled me is because I was the only one in the office who knew all your cases since I was already covering them for you."

She opens her mouth as if to continue to argue, but then she pauses. After a few seconds she closes her mouth again and looks at me a bit softer. "Oh." She says looking surprised. "That actually might work."

"Yeah, yeah Granger." I scoff. "You aren't the only one capable of coming up with a good plan. Now you've spent the past decade taking care of everyone else, why don't you let someone else return the favor for a change. You've had something horrific happen to you, and no one is going to think less of you for taking a little time off to recover."

She lets out one long sigh. "You're right."

You're damn right I am.

Don't worry, I don't actually say that out loud. But I am thinking it and I do grin right at her.

"Thank you." I'm still grinning. "Now there's one for the books though. I'm going to have to write it in my calendar that Hermione Granger actually admitted I was right about something."

I see her trying not to grin, but she isn't very successful and the corners of her lips twitch at my comment.

"Yeah, well. Don't get used to it." She says.

I laugh and decide I want to touch her. I know I'm about to make her uncomfortable, but that just excites me even more.

As I walk over to her, her eyes widen and she takes a few steps back.

"What are you doing?" She asks as she inadvertently ends up with her back against the dresser by the time I reach her.

I firmly grasp her left hand and left it up while I give her a large smirk. "Checking on your finger to make sure it healed properly."

I see her blush, but she doesn't try and rip her hand away. I feel my smirk grow as I finally decide to look her hand over.

Her ring finger has officially regrown to the proper size; which means the operation was a success. There isn't even much of a scar, so If it wasn't for the fact that the new finger is a slightly lighter shade then the rest of her hand you wouldn't be able to tell I had done anything to her at all.

"Looks good." I say, rubbing my finger over the line where her new flesh meets the old. I glance up a little to her wrist and notice its still black and blue from how rough Charlie must have been with her the past few weeks. It makes me sad to think someone who supposedly loved her could do something like that.

She slowly pulls her hand away, looking uncomfortable. I love getting a reaction out of her, no matter what kind it is, and the butterflies in my stomach go into overdrive.

"Yeah, you did a good job." She says. "It looks and feels as good as new. I doubt anyone will notice a difference."

"Oooh, that's two for the calendar." I tease her, unable to help myself. "I was both right about something and did a good job all in one day!"

"Funny." She says unamused. "Now you got your clothes and checked in on me; you can leave now."

"One more thing actually." I decide to warn her. "My mother may know that your here."

She raises an eyebrow at me. "May?"

"Okay so my mother definitely knows that your here. She's expecting you for afternoon tea."

"Good to know." She doesn't seem annoyed at the idea of spending time with my mother. Another good sign. "That'll keep me from going out of my mind with boredom at least."

I hate having to leave her here, but I'm already late and there's nothing more to talk about this morning; so I dig my wand out of my pocket in preparation for apparating away. "I'll have Tilly bring you breakfast and show you to the library if you'd like." I hope that the library will make her not ever want to leave Malfoy Manor. It's one of the largest rooms in the house and it hosts several one of a kind editions of rare books. Maybe it'll make her want to stay after her divorce is finalized.

"Tilly?" She asks curiously.

Shit. Maybe the library won't be enough to make her want to stay after all.

"One of our house elves." I answer; knowing full well how she's going to react to that information.

Hermione rolls her eyes and scoffs. "Should have guessed."

"I know you probably think that she's abused based on what you know about my fathers old elf Dobby, but Tilly and her brother Trumble are very well loved." I say trying to convince her that I'm nothing like my father was. "My mother and I think of them both as family.

"I'm sure they are." She says in a tone that doesn't match her words. "They're still practically slaves though."

"Well we don't pay them if that's what you mean, but they don't want money anyway." I stand firm by what I say; but I do hope I can convince her that my mother and I care about them like family. "They were a gift from my father to my mother when she became pregnant with me. They easily could have been separated from each other, but he purchased both of them."

"Purchased?" She crosses her arms and turns her nose up in disgust. "If that doesn't say slavery I don't know what does."

She's infuriating when it comes to her love for magical creatures, but I guess that's part of what made me love her in the first place.

"At least they got to stay together." I argue. "Do you think if my father hadn't bought them both they would have been able to stay together? Because I can tell you right now the answer would have been no."

Hermione huffs and rolls her eyes again; this time more out of anger than humor though. "You're already late for the office and I don't really want to get into house elf rights right now."

"Fine by me." I shrug, knowing she's right about me needing to get to the office sooner rather than later.

As I prepare to apparate again, she holds up her hand as if trying to stop me. "Wait." She says with another small huff.

I like the idea of her not wanting me to go, so I lower my wand for the second time. "Yes."

"Well." She looks embarrassed. "It's just that..." She sighs and looks down at her feet. "I don't want to wear those awful clothes Charlie made me wear yesterday again."

Made her wear? I guess her robes and the clothes she's been wearing underneath them this week make a lot more sense now.

"Made you wear?" I ask to clarify. "Why on earth would he make you wear those atrocious robes?"

She keeps looking at her feet , but I notice her jaw tighten a bit. "Because they kept my body well covered and would have been off putting to other men."

"Oh." I nod in understanding. "His paranoia was rearing it's ugly head I assume."

She worries her bottom lip and I can tell she wants to cry, but she won't let herself in front of me. "Yeah but I really don't want to talk about that right now." She looks up at me. "Do you have any clothes I can wear or not?"

I can't help myself, I hate the tension so to lighten the mood I'm going to harass her a little. Hopefully she'll take it as innocent and not as hostile. "I'll take it you don't mean more of my night shirts that show off those perky nipples of yours?"

I really am a bastard aren't I?

Her face turns red from what I can only guess is a mixture of both embarrassment and anger, and she crosses her arms over her chest to hide he outline of her nipples from my view.

"What?" I ask feigning innocence. "They were pointing straight at me. Was I not suppose to notice them?"

"Pig!" She screeches at me. "Nevermind! I'll just transfigure something for myself out of the drapes."

I snort and head back into my closet. "Cool it Granger, I think I have something."

I hear her tapping her foot against the hardwood floor as I levitate a box from the top shelf. As mad as she is, I can't help but think that it was worth it. I love seeing the fire in her eyes when I annoy her, and what's in this box is bound to rile her up even more.

I exit the closet again, box in hand and i place it on the bed. "You can wear, use, or transfigure whatever you want from in here."

She approaches the bed slowly, looking weary of both me and the box; her arms are still crossed over her breasts showing me that she obviously doesn't trust me.

"What are these and where did they come from?" She asks as she uses one hand to rummage through the contents of fabric and shoes.

"Leftovers." I smirk.

She raises an eyebrow at me as a particularly skimpy nighty hangs off her pointer finger. "Leftovers from what?"

"Ex-girlfriends." I grin at her. "One-night stands. You know, anything women have left behind over the years."

"Ugh." She says looking disgusted. "Thanks, I guess." She adds sarcastically.

You might think that I'd prefer to hide my sexual history from her, but no. I actually like the idea of her knowing how active I am in the sack and now she's bound to be thinking about me having sex.

"You're welcome." I smirk as I raise my wand again. I figure her thinking about me and sex is a good way to leave her for the day.

"Enjoy that box Granger!" I bid her as I apparate to the office.


End file.
